


We remain the same

by BrilliantlyHorrid



Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: (sort of), Cal and Coulson work out their issues, Cal is not Phil's biggest fan, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fluff and Angst, Humor, In-Laws, Meet the Family, Phil Coulson's need for approval, Rebellious Daisy, Suck up Phil, Tahiti is a Magical Place, The Retreat
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 11:59:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,368
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5966635
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrilliantlyHorrid/pseuds/BrilliantlyHorrid
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“You weren’t going to mention…” Coulson motioned between the two of them awkwardly, and Daisy’s eyebrows shot up. “Were you?”</p><p>“Uhh--”</p><p>“Because I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” he continued, scratching at his neck. “There’s a lot going on and who knows how he’ll react, and I just don’t think--”</p><p>“Yeah no,” Daisy said, crossing her arms. “Wasn’t going to mention it, so you can stop sweating now.”</p>
            </blockquote>





	We remain the same

**Author's Note:**

> Eager-to-please Phil makes me happy, and I have Cal and Daisy feels, soooo here you go!  
> Title is from "Kiss With a Fist" by Florence and the Machine

“This was a mistake,” Daisy said, sounding shaky. From across the room, Phil winced, holding his shoulder.

“Which part?” He asked, looking through the doorway of the kitchen. Cal had gone to the bathroom to grab a first aid kit, if there even was one. They hadn’t exactly had time to get to a safe house, so the first empty apartment they’d found would have to do until extraction.

“All of it,” Daisy responded as she stepped away from the window. The curtain fell back into place, leaving the kitchen dark once more. “Leaving him on his own, keeping records, visiting too much.” Her voice was strained, and it hurt Phil to hear her say it.

“This isn’t your fault,” he said, adjusting his grip on his shoulder. The bullet had only grazed him, thankfully, but the amount of blood was worrisome. He was lucky they didn’t leave a trail of it escaping from the clinic.

“Sure it isn’t.” Daisy sounded unconvinced, kneeling next to him. She eyed the wound with concern. “Here,” she said, wrapping a dish towel around her hand and pressing it to his arm. Phil hissed slightly at the pressure.

“I hope the residents won’t miss that towel,” he joked, sort of. They would try to clean up and not leave a trace before leaving, but Phil wasn’t sure how long that would take. Or if the occupants would get home first. _Or if we’ve been followed._

“They might, it’s kind of a nice one,” Daisy said, looking over it. Prior to being covered in his blood, he would agree. It was bright white with lemons all over it.

“I’ll buy you a set,” he said, getting a smile out of her.

“Promises, promises,” she replied, looking up as footsteps approached from the hall.

“We’re in luck!” Cal said, brandishing a large first aid kit. “This baby is pretty well-stocked, I think these folks are athletes or adventurers of some kind.”

“Or just super accident prone,” Daisy joked, and Cal laughed loudly. The noise brought a smile to Daisy's face, before it was replaced with a stoic expression.

_What are we going to do?_

If this new iteration of the ATCU (were they really that ‘new?’) knew about Cal, what was SHIELD going to do with him? Put him in their own version of witness protection and hope he never wondered what happened and who came after him?

He doubted she would ask, but Phil would absolutely refuse to put him under the TAHITI program again. Even if it was done for a good cause, the process was...unpleasant. He knew that more than anyone.

“Let’s take a look at that arm, hm?” Cal asked, and Daisy and Coulson shared a look.

“Dr. Winslow, right?” Coulson asked, and Cal nodded. “No offense, but isn’t your area of expertise more on the animal side of things?”

The other man waved a hand dismissively. “Not much of a difference on this level, I’ve closed up plenty of wounds worse than this,” he said, then smiled widely. “And hey! Less fur.”

Phil suppressed a frown, focusing instead on the fact that Daisy looked so amused. She removed her hand, moving over to the window again while Cal got to work.

“Do you think we should stay here for extraction or move?” She asked, and Phil shook his head.

“I’m not sure, staying in the same place for too long makes me nervous, but moving--” he looked over at Cal, who glanced upward.

“Hm? Oh, don’t worry about me. Where you lead, I will follow. You’re the folks with guns. The _good_ folks with guns,” he amended. Phil had no doubt that Cal would go with them, but he wasn’t a SHIELD agent, so they were lacking a lot of the stealth he and Daisy would have on their own. 

“I’m really sorry about this,” Daisy said, chewing on her thumbnail. Phil knew the gesture well, not that he needed to in order to see the guilt and worry written all over her face.

“Nonsense, I could do with a little excitement. Anonymous secret agent types leading me away from gunfire is maybe a little more than I imagined, but you know. Careful what you wish for. So on and so forth.”

“I’ve gotta say, you’re awfully blasé about all this for someone who hasn’t seen much excitement,” Phil observed, amused despite himself. He knew that ‘positive attitude’ was one of Dr. Winslow’s assigned traits, but maybe combined with pre-HYDRA Cal, the enthusiasm was a little much for a normal person.

“Ah, well, you two seem pretty competent, I’m sure everything will turn out alright.”

 _I hope so._ Coulson winced as Cal pulled some torn fabric of his sleeve that had begun to stick to the drying blood. “Shit,” he hissed.

“Oops, sorry about that Phil.”

The two SHIELD agents in the room froze, while Cal sighed and shook his head.

“There I go again,” he muttered, and Coulson drew his eyes away from Cal just enough to see Daisy’s widened eyes. “I’m not supposed to know that yet, am I?”

***

“If I had to guess I’d say his years of...self-enhancement made him resistant to the permanent memory replacement,” Simmons said, placing Cal’s folder on Coulson’s desk. “But I’m afraid because of the unique nature of his predicament there’s no way to know for sure what it is.”

Daisy nodded, crossing her arms in front of her. “How long?” She asked, watching Cal on the monitor. He sat calmly in the medbay, occasionally trying to get Mack to talk to him. Behind her, she could hear Simmons sigh.

“We won’t know for sure until we ask, but months, possibly.”

“He’s been on his own for over a year,” Daisy said, turning around. “He’s been out there, knowing exactly--”

“And nothing happened,” Coulson interrupted, quietly. “You’ve been keeping tabs on him, he’s been fine.”

And it was true. No run-ins with police, or unusual behavior reported by his neighbors. Even his practice had stellar reviews on Yelp.

“Wouldn’t the memory replacement wearing off make him forget how to be a vet?” She asked, confused. Simmons shrugged.

“Maybe the two personalities merged in some way,” she said, her eyes lighting up a bit. “Perhaps the calm, friendly personality of Dr. Winslow has balanced him out, like the dendrotoxin to Mike’s super serum.”

“Except instead of stopping him from blowing up--”

“It’s stopping him from going on a murderous rampage.” Daisy said, completing Phil’s thought. Apparently not to his satisfaction, because he looked dismayed.

“Daisy--”

“How about I call up Dr. Garner and get him to talk to Daisy’s father?” Simmons asked, clearly getting uncomfortable.

“Thank you, Jemma,” Coulson said, and Daisy nodded. Giving them one last reassuring smile, she left.  

Daisy walked over to Coulson, standing next to his desk. “So what do we do now?”

Phil sighed, running a hand through his hair. She couldn’t tell if it was better or worse, him being so open to her now. The Coulson before would probably try to hide the fact that he had no fucking clue.

“Let’s take it one step at a time,” he said, standing up. “Find out how long he’s been aware, where his head is at.” He winced at the phrasing.

“Should we wait until Andrew talks to him first?” Daisy asked, thinking back to the trip home. Due to the circumstances she wouldn’t have blamed Coulson for not letting Cal finish up his arm, but surprisingly he did. Their extraction arrived soon after, not giving the three of them much time to chat.

 _‘We get him fixed up, we get out, we talk later,’_ she’d ordered, and Cal simply nodded. The last thing she needed was to be focusing on what had happened and being distracted if they got jumped. As a precaution, Cal spent the trip under Bobbi’s watchful eye as Daisy and Phil addressed the more minor injuries.

She wasn’t afraid to admit she was worried about speaking to her father.

After all, from what she knew now he was well-behaved, stable and had no problem assimilating into society as he was.

But she knew the second she started to talk to him, the second _Coulson_ started to talk to him, things could get more complicated. He could lose his temper, or admit that things hadn’t been going so well. There were so many ways it could go wrong.

“No,” she said, not waiting for Coulson to answer her question. “You’re right, we should talk to him.”

Phil nodded, looking toward the door. Daisy frowned when she saw him pause, looking at her.

“What?”

“Nothing,” Phil said, too quickly. He walked to the door and Daisy followed.

“No really, what?” She asked as they walked down to the medbay, trying to figure out what was going on in _his_ head right then.

Pausing outside the doors to the lab, Coulson sighed. “You weren’t going to mention…” he motioned between the two of them awkwardly, and Daisy’s eyebrows shot up. “Were you?”

“Uhh--”

“Because I’m not sure it’s a good idea,” he continued, scratching at his neck. “There’s a lot going on and who knows how he’ll react, and I just don’t think--”

“Yeah no,” Daisy said, crossing her arms. “Wasn’t going to mention it, so you can stop sweating now.” Phil swallowed, and if there weren’t already so much going on she would laugh at his apparent, out-of-character nervousness.

Then again, if she knew Phil, it wasn’t like he was worried about her father’s approval. That would be stupid. He was probably just as nervous as she was that they would set Cal off and ruin things for him. They would do what they could for Cal, but if he was dangerous, there was no way he would be out on his own again. And they couldn’t do anything to jeopardize that.

The two of them walked into the medbay, giving Mack a wave to signal that he was good to go.

“Thank god,” he muttered, passing the two of them in the doorway.

Cal watched Mack leave, pointing in Mack’s direction. “Nice guy, not chatty,” he observed. “Did not think my Paul Bunyan jokes were funny though.” Cal looked over at Phil, whose smile was as empty and infallible as a screensaver. “You either, huh. Can’t blame you, I suppose.” He looked down at Phil’s hand, noticing the latest prosthetic. “Did it grow back, or…?” It wasn’t cruel, but uncomfortably blunt, as Cal always seemed to have been. Having seen and been through what he had, it was hardly surprising.

“The wonders of technology,” Coulson said, a small half-smile on his face.

“Ah,” Cal said, before turning his attention to Daisy. “Hi,” he said, almost shy. Daisy smiled, and despite herself she could feel her eyes well up a bit.

“Hi,” she replied, and watched him fiddle with his hands. Part of her wanted to give him a hug, but her reservations kept her rooted to the same spot.

“You kept your promise,” he said, and Daisy’s brow furrowed. “To visit. I saw you a few times, with a book. I figured either you were coming to see me, or maybe that bench was the best place in the world to read.”

Daisy chuckled, blinking back the tears that threatened to fall any moment. “No, that was just for you,” she said, tilting her head. “That bench is actually super uncomfortable.”

Cal laughed. “Yeah?” He asked, sitting back on the table.

“Yeah,” she agreed, moving to sit in the chair next to him. “Kind of relieved I don’t have to sit there anymore, not gonna lie.” The two of them laughed quietly, despite the implications there. _He can’t go back._

Cal sighed, looking her over with that wistful expression she’d seen so much before… “You look older,” he said, a melancholy smile on his face. Probably happy to see her, but thinking of more time lost. “You too, Phil,” he called over to Coulson, who was still standing in the doorway. He sent Cal a strained smile, while Daisy raised an eyebrow.

“Dad,” she objected, but any threat was apparently missed as he focused on the title.

“So, what did I miss?” He asked, crossing one leg over the other and looking at her expectantly. Pausing, he looked at Coulson before turning back to her. “Oh, and you probably have some questions for me, don’t you?”

“Just a few,” Coulson answered, pulling up a chair.

***

“Can we talk?” Daisy asked late that night, turning over to face him. Phil sighed.

“Oh no.”

Daisy rolled her eyes.

“Yes, we can talk,” he said, sitting up against the headboard. He let the sheets pool in his lap, happy the heat in the Playground was finally working correctly. Sure, he would talk, but he had that post-sex sleepy and boneless feeling and didn’t think he could muster the energy to put clothes on.

Daisy seemed to feel differently, downright energetic as she jumped out of bed. Phil resisted the urge to pout. At least enjoying the view, he watched her look uncertainly around the room before grabbing the shirt and tie he had worn that day from a chair.

“Here, put this on,” Daisy said tossing the tie at him.

Puzzled, and still more exhausted than excited at this point, he looked at the tie in his hands. “On...my neck?” He asked, not really sure what Daisy was going for.

“Yeah,” she answered, somewhat impatiently. Phil watched as she efficiently buttoned his shirt up to her neck, the bottom of it brushing her thighs.

Of course, if she was this...interested in going again (he balked at using the word ‘unsatisfied,’ hoping that wasn’t the case,) he could probably manage.

“Phil, put it on,” she asked earnestly, sitting on top of the sheets next to him. Feeling a bit silly, Phil looped the already-tied tie over his head. Out of practice, he tightened it a bit. Although he was sure he looked ridiculous, Daisy didn’t laugh or smirk, just watched him and smiled gratefully when he looked up.

“Thanks,” she said, and Phil was reminded why exactly he was willing to do anything for this woman. Then, her face dropped into a serious expression. “I have a proposal I want to run by you,” she said, and Phil’s eyebrows shot up.

“What? What kind of proposal?” Narrowing his eyes, he looked at her demeanor. “Is this about work?”

“I know you don’t like to bring SHIELD business in here,” she began, ever-so-reasonable.

“No, I don’t,” Phil agreed, not sure he liked where this was going. “Wait, what’s with-- is that why?” He lifted the tie up.

“I know you don’t like to bring SHIELD business in here,” she repeated, slightly less patient, “so I tried to make it seem a little more..professional.”

“Well you failed,” Phil said, shaking his head. “Big time.”

“Coulson,” Daisy said warningly. Catching the tired tone of her voice, Phil dropped it and gestured for her to continue. Sure, wearing a tie and nothing else definitely added to the _professional_ vibe. “It’s about Cal.”

“Yeah, not okay,” Phil said, covering his face with his hands. “So not okay.”

“Come on, Phil, I’m serious,” Daisy said, pulling his hands away. He looked at her helplessly.

Did they _have to_ have this conversation now? Here?

But Daisy had that look on her face, that determined, stubborn, passionate look that first drew him to her. She was on a mission. They were going to talk.

“Go ahead,” he sighed.

“I think that we should send him to the Retreat,” she said, and Phil nodded. It made some sense, getting him off the base but still well within their grasp. And _contained._

In case of the worst.

“There we can monitor him, and see how he’s doing with his temper and everything, then if he seems better, we bring him back here.”

“Daisy--”

“The absolute minimum security clearance, zero access to the lab, armory. Garage, even,” she said, placing a hand on his arm. “Only if we think he can handle himself. I’m not naive, I know he’s not going back out in the world any time soon,” she said, sounding resigned. And it hurt, but he couldn’t disagree with her. Cal was unpredictable, and something could go terribly wrong.

_And Daisy would feel responsible._

“But I can’t just lock him up, Coulson.” Daisy’s eyes were dry, but she was clearly torn up about the whole thing. Wrapping an arm around her shoulder, Phil pulled her in close until she tucked herself into his side.

“I think we let Andrew meet with him as planned, then we can bring him to the Retreat,” he said, and Daisy pulled back to look at him, eyes wide.

“Really?”

Phil nodded, and her shoulders sagged in relief. “Thank you,” she said, and Phil leaned in and kissed her.

Daisy pursed her lips when he pulled away, wincing a bit. “One more thing?”

Watching her skeptically, Phil crossed his arms over his chest.

“I think we should stay with him--not the whole time, but when we can,” she said, turning to face him more fully. When Phil didn’t object, she continued. “And I think we should tell him. About us.”

“Come again?”

***

“Well this is cozy,” Cal said, stepping into the Retreat. He looked around, taking in his surroundings. Daisy had watched him carefully the whole trip, and apart from his face when he realized Phil would be joining them (not a great sign) and his face when he saw the barriers around the cabin (she felt the guilt gnawing at her already,) he seemed in relatively good spirits.

He was energetic, not as manic as he had been before. She imagined that was Dr. Winslow’s personality still in effect. (They specified ‘mellow.’) But also, Cal seemed to pause frequently, not feel the need to fill the silences with chatter. In those moments, he appeared to be reflecting. (Hopefully a good sign.)

Phil followed, planting grocery bags on the counter and beginning to stock the cupboards. “Captain America stayed here,” he commented, trying to be friendly.

“Who?” Cal asked, clearly far more interested in the wooden clock on the wall. “Ah,” he said, distracted, waving a hand. “The red, white and blue guy. Neat.”

Daisy could see Phil close his eyes, take a breath, and gently place a jar of pesto on the counter. “And Daisy,” he added, friendly once more. “It has a very heroic guest list,” he joked, and Daisy rolled her eyes.

“Yes, lovely wide open space for a cage,” Cal commented. “Interesting way to treat your heroes.”

“Dad,” Daisy said, giving him a warning. He didn’t seem angry, but he’d been irritable and flip with Phil all day. _And he doesn’t even know yet._

She wondered if they needed backup. She pushed that thought away.

Cal turned to face the two of them, smiling. “What can I help with?”

Putting on a smile, Daisy gestured off to the other room. “I can help you unpack, Coulson can get started on dinner. I thought we could make pizzas,” she said, hoping her excited, happy tone would be contagious.

“Oh, he’s staying?”

Phil sighed from the kitchen. Daisy supposed now was as good a time as any.

“Dad, there’s something I need to talk to you about,” she began, and heard Phil drop some sort of utensil on the kitchen floor.

“You’re not going to _Old Yeller_ me, are you?” Cal asked, shaking his head. “I gotta say, as a vet that story really screws me up.”

“No, we’re not going--” she sighed, pulling him over to the couch. Sitting them both down, she turned to face him fully. To her surprise, she saw Phil come over and sit in the chair across the coffee table. He sent her a soft smile, which she returned. They could do this. It was no big deal. They’d handled things a lot scarier than this, after all.

And Cal was _better_. She knew he was.

“Cal. Coulson-- _Phil_ and I are together,” she said, cutting right to the chase. “We have been for months, and we just thought that was something you should be aware of.”

“What’s that now?” Cal asked, still smiling, as if he didn’t quite catch any of it. Daisy took a breath.

“Phil and I are...dating. Each other. I mean, we don’t get to go on many dates,” she said, running a hand through her hair. “Because of the whole ‘superhero/secret agent’ deal, but--”

“I’m sorry, I’m not quite following,” her father said, the smile a bit more strained.

_He definitely heard that time._

“Daisy and I are--”

“I got it!” Cal said harshly, holding up a hand.

Phil shut his mouth and both he and Daisy watched Cal carefully, waiting. Daisy’s father took a breath before lowering his hand and linking his fingers together. “How did--how--how?” He asked, looking at the floor.

Daisy watched him cautiously. He didn’t seemed tensed up for an outburst, but Cal was nothing if not unpredictable.

“Well, we’ve always cared about each other--”

“He’s twice your age.” Cal gave a little shake of his head. “Though I suppose I’m not one to talk, am I?” he muttered, frowning. “This guy,” he said, pointing at his own head. “You had to go and make him so reasonable, didn’t you?” Sounding more mildly annoyed than angry, Cal was reacting...better than she’d imagined? It could have been worse?

“That aside,” Daisy said, placing a hand on his shoulder, “we wanted to be honest with you. I’m not asking you to like it, and I'm not asking permission. I just wanted you to be aware it’s happening.”

Cal looked up, at her, then at Phil. He looked back at her. “ _Him_?”

Phil sighed, leaning back in his chair, and Daisy sent him a pleading look. She couldn’t expect him to sit back and silently take the jabs and barbs sent his way, but if he could hold out a little longer…

“No offense,” Cal said, holding up a hand to Phil, before pausing and pointing at him. “Well, some offense,” he corrected, looking back to Daisy, “but he’s so old, and you’re so--” he gestured to Daisy, who rolled her eyes.

“I’m well aware that I don’t deserve Daisy,” Coulson said, “believe me.”

“Okay, now both of you need to shut up,” Daisy muttered, standing up. “I’m going to make a pizza. And if either of you object to _that_ decision, you can keep it to yourself.”

***

“How’s everything going?” Andrew asked, and Phil made a strangled little noise he wasn’t proud of. Handing Andrew a glass of scotch, he sat down at his desk with his own. “Is Cal’s temper under control?” Andrew tried again, and Coulson nodded.

“No major outbursts. He’s not _happy,_ but he also hasn’t broken anything,” he conceded, taking a drink.

“You don’t seem very happy about that.”

Phil sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “If Cal is better, I will be very happy. This is important to Daisy, to me too.”

Andrew eyed him skeptically. “But..?” He placed his own glass on the desk.

“But...I doubt his feelings about me will ever change,” Phil said ruefully. Sure, verbal jabs and comments were better than literal punches to the face, but they weren’t enough.

“I know you know better than to treat Cal like any other father,” Andrew said, looking at him pointedly. “He’s going to have _a lot_ more serious issues and hangups than the average father would. So as a professional, I would recommend you focus on rehabilitating him for the general public, not getting him to warm up to you.”

Phil leaned back in his chair. “And as not-a-professional?” _As my friend?_

“Talk about things he likes,” Andrew suggested, shrugging.

“Daisy,” Phil offered up. “For starters.”

“Okay,” Andrew said, looking amused. “What do you two have in common?” He dropped his smile, looking seriously at the desk before meeting Phil’s eyes. “Have you talked to him about TAHITI at all?”

“Of course not,” Phil said quickly, almost choking on his drink.

“Because if he’s gained his memories back…”

“I know,” Coulson said, shaking his head. “He’ll remember it.”

“Did you ever tell Daisy?”

Coulson tilted his head. “Am I detecting some judgment?” No, he hadn’t told her. He hadn’t thought he’d ever have to, to be fair.

“No judgment, just something you may want to consider.” Andrew crossed one leg over the other, considering Phil. “Honestly, this is why I think you should think about the bigger picture, not just getting dad’s approval.”

 _‘All we need is for Cal to deal with us being together, we’re not expecting him to take you on a fishing trip,’_ Daisy had told him on the flight back to the Playground.

But Phil didn’t just want Cal to put up with him. He wanted him to _like_ him. Maybe it was because he was a bit of a goody-two-shoes sometimes, or maybe it was just because he loved Daisy, but he really, _really_ wanted Cal to like him. If Phil could get past the man almost beating him to death, they could make it work. Maybe it was just because he was out of his element. Parents _loved_ him. Moms were charmed by him, dads got along with him. That was just how it was. Of course, some parents were more difficult than others.

_Speaking of which._

“How did you deal with it?” Phil asked, and Andrew looked at him curiously. “With May’s parents?”

Understanding dawned on Andrew’s face. “I never had any issues,” he said, reaching for his glass.

“Bullshit,” Coulson called, and Andrew raised an eyebrow.

“William and I always got along great,” he said, “we still do.”

“I’m not talking about her father,” Coulson said, looking at Andrew with both eyebrows raised. “You’re telling me there was no resistance with Lian. From day one?” Andrew simply nodded, and Coulson narrowed his eyes.

Dr. Garner leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms. “Are you saying there’s something about me that a mother might find inherently objectionable?”

“You know I’m not,” Phil answered, not falling for it. Andrew chuckled. Standing up, he tapped the surface of Phil’s desk.

“For now, I would focus on the positives: he may not like you, but at least he’s not trying to kill you. Start with that.”

Coulson nodded, watching Andrew leave.

No, Cal wasn’t trying to kill him.

But he was _going to_ like him. It was non-negotiable.

***

“I brought Ho Hos, some kettle corn, whatever these things are,” Coulson said, taking a brightly colored package of gummies or something he’d found at the store out of the bag. Cal eyed him from across the kitchen table.

“You know, darn it, I was just thinking I would love some ice cream,” he said.

“I’ve got vanilla and neapolitan,” Phil answered, pulling the cartons out of the bag.

“How lucky,” Cal said, forcing a smile. Phil smiled back, putting the ice cream in the freezer. “When is my daughter coming back?”

Rolling his eyes into the safety of the freezer Phil put on a happy face. “She should be here in the next hour or so, routine mission.” Turning back to face the other man, he gestured to the living room. “I can get a TV in here, no problem, if you want one.”

“Now that you know I’m not going to smash it?” Cal asked, pleasant as could be.

“Now that Fitz hooked the cable back up,” Coulson corrected. From the look on Cal’s face, Phil was beginning to wonder if he had taken the wrong approach. Perhaps having an answer for everything wasn’t the best way to deal with someone like Cal. Was he being irritating? Phil had never been a good judge of whether or not he was irritating someone, not until they punched him in the face. _Which, hopefully, won’t be happening here._

“Look, I know you don’t like me,” he said bluntly, placing both his hands on the table, “but like I told you before, we both care about your daughter. Too much for our own good sometimes, because that’s the kind of person she is. She deserves to have whatever she wants.”

“And, inexplicably, she wants you,” Cal said, rather unkindly.

“Inexplicably, yes she does.”

“And you would do anything for her,” Cal stated, raising an eyebrow.

“In a heartbeat.”

“We both know you’d suffer for her,” he said, not sounding impressed by it. “You’d move heaven and earth, do everything in your power, die for her?”

“I would.” _I almost did._

“Would you kill for her?”

Phil balked. “Excuse me?” Unwillingly his eyes glanced down at his left hand. The best model yet, it didn’t even resemble the one left on another planet, before he looked back up at Cal.

The other man looked back calmly, tapping his fingers against the rim of a water glass. “Would you kill for her, Phil? If she needed you, for whatever reason, to kill someone, anyone, would you do it?”

“I--” Would he? If Daisy needed to end lives to keep going, would he do it? He’d already risked his own, many times. Would he risk others as well? _She wouldn’t want that,_ he reminded himself. Daisy would _never_ ask to sacrifice someone else’s life for hers.

But he could already see it in Cal’s eyes. The woman _he_ fell in love with would never do that either.

“Be careful,” Cal said, standing up from the table.

“There’s no right answer, is there?” Coulson asked, watching Cal’s back as he walked away from him. “If I say no, I’m not enough for her, if I say yes, I’m you.”

It was a cheap shot, maybe. But he’d been fielding them from Cal for days, there was only so much a man could take. _Plus, I’ll know for sure whether he would kill me now._

Daisy’s father paused, not turning around. “I think I’ll take a nap, long morning,” he said walking into the bedroom and shutting the door. Phil squeezed the edge of the table, stopping only when he could hear it begin to creak under the prosthetic.

***

Daisy walked into the Retreat, smiling as she saw Coulson sitting on the couch, reading a newspaper. Realizing he was alone, her smile faded slightly.

“Hey,” she called, plopping next to him and kicking her boots off.

“Hey,” Phil answered, kissing her lightly on the lips before pulling away. Daisy frowned.

“Excuse me?” Grabbing his face in both of her hands, Daisy pressed her mouth against his. Phil made a surprised noise, and she took the opportunity to slip her tongue past his lips. Daisy could tell from the hands on her shoulders that maybe he wasn’t super into the idea of making out on the couch when her father was in the other room, but his mouth seemed to not have the same objections as he met her with equal enthusiasm.

Daisy had a _long_ day, and if she wanted to kiss her boyfriend’s brains out she sure as hell would. (She would take it a step further, but it was a small cabin and a...delicate situation.)

“Wait,” Coulson said, pulling back, and Daisy moved to his neck, loosening his tie and planting an open-mouthed kiss there.

_Why is he wearing a tie again?_

This whole ‘trying to impress her dad’ thing was cute, sure, but also baffling and occasionally frustrating. She had a hard enough time convincing Phil he was _worthy_ of her, and now Cal was going in and making it worse.

“Daisy, please,” he said, and Daisy smiled against the curve of his jaw.

“That’s more like it,” she said, moving a hand down to his chest and pushing him back on the couch.

“ _Daisy,”_ Coulson said urgently, before she heard a sputtering sound from behind them. Jumping backwards, she looked over to see Cal standing in the doorway of his room, a hand over his eyes.

“Sorry,” she muttered, before looking back at Coulson, who was watching her with narrowed eyes.

 _‘You did that on purpose!’_ That’s what that face said. She’d seen it before. And okay, maybe not the _whole thing_ was on purpose, but she wasn’t going to wring her hands over getting caught by her dad. If anything, this was one of those experiences she missed out on. It wasn’t the same with foster parents, who sometimes cared, but also sometimes couldn’t give less of a shit what you did.

Plus Phil’s face was kind of amazing. He’d been so clearly tiptoeing around her dad, she needed to mess with him just a little bit.

And yes. Maybe it did matter to her _a little bit_ that Cal knew she was pursuing Coulson, that this wasn’t just a one-sided thing. That Phil was _absolutely_ deserving of her, whatever that meant. She’d never felt the need to prove to someone else they were good enough, it was usually the other way around.

“I just-- dinner,” Cal said as he walked over to the kitchen.

“Good idea,” Coulson replied, shooting up off the couch and moving to assist. Stopping him, Daisy grabbed his shirt with one hand before he could pass by. He looked down at her curiously.

“Hey,” she said, tugging at the shirt. “I love you.”

Phil looked panicked just for a moment, before he met her eyes and his whole face seemed to soften.

“I love you too,” he said, wiping a bit of imaginary (she hoped. To be honest she had no idea what state she was in post-mission,) dirt from her cheek. “Glad you’re back.”

Holding out his hand he helped her stand up off the couch and head to the kitchen.

“So, what’s for dinner?” Daisy asked, patting Cal on the back. Her face lit up as her eyes landed on the table. “Ooh, Ho Hos!”

***

It didn’t take long for Phil to get a call from the Playground and have to excuse himself. He insisted Daisy stay, so she and Cal ended up playing cards in the sitting room.

“We could get a TV in here,” she said, but her father shook his head. Instead they played some kind of game she was convinced he made up, because there were so many nonsensical rules.

“So how are you feeling?” She asked. He didn’t seem very agitated, apart from the initial discomfort of seeing her and Coulson in a precarious position. He even seemed to be more civil with Phil, which was a nice surprise.

“Good,” Cal said, thinking it over. “Before, it always felt like I had something toxic coursing through my veins--probably because I did. I was always a little too hot, like there was a furnace inside me.” He looked over his hands, steadier than ever. “Whatever that Winslow guy was on, I am a fan,” he joked, but Daisy could see the genuine pleasure in his face discussing it. He felt _comfortable,_ for the first time in years. That was a start.

“How does it feel?”

“The memory replacement? Awful,” he said, and Daisy sat up straight. “Oh, you mean the results, not the uh, process.” He scratched behind his ear. “Results are good, I think old me recovered gradually enough I’ve been able to separate the two memory-wise, if not personality-wise.”

Swallowing heavily, Daisy looked him in the eye. “How bad was the process?” _Be honest,_ she implored him silently.

“Excruciating, worst pain of my life,” Cal said lightly, and Daisy put her cards down.

“Really?” She knew it wasn’t a picnic, so she couldn’t exactly say it surprised her. _I just assumed he would never remember it._ She thought about Coulson in the memory machine, begging to die. After his second round and the discovery of the other TAHITI patients, she had put two and two together. But she thought it was because they were all _dying_.

“Oh yeah, not something I would do again,” he said, before looking up at Daisy’s face. “I mean, I don’t regret that you did it,” he corrected quickly, shaking his head. “I mean, look at us. Look at this.” He gestured to the coffee table between them, covered in playing cards. “I didn’t think I’d ever have a chance at this, and now I do.”

Daisy nodded. “Coulson told me it was bad, I guess I just…”

“It’s probably one of those things you have to experience to fully understand,” Cal guessed, “not just see.”

Daisy frowned. “Coulson did experience it,” she said, and Cal tilted his head.

“No kidding.” He shrugged, looking back at his cards awkwardly. “I suppose that makes more sense.”

Leaning forward in her seat, Daisy watched Cal curiously. “What do you mean?” Her father sighed, putting his cards on the table across from her own.

“All that _‘I know_ ,’ and ‘ _it’ll be over soon,_ ’ stuff he kept going on and on about, when they were--” he brought his hands up to his head, wiggling his fingers over his hair. He shrugged, quirking his lips into an apologetic smile. “I thought he was just being condescending.”

“He was there?” Daisy asked, her mouth suddenly dry. _He never told me that._ She knew he went off base after everything, but assumed it was for extra medical care. _He told me it was for medical care._

Cal nodded, looking around the room, uncomfortable.

“So what,” Daisy threw out, trying to ignore how her face felt hot, and like she wanted to yell but also cry and also squeeze the life out of her stupid, stupid boyfriend. “While you were undergoing the memory replacement, Phil was there the whole time holding your hand?”

Cal shook his head, making a face. “There wasn’t any hand holding,” he objected, before frowning curiously. “Okay,” he said. “There was some hand holding. But I never asked, I think it was more for him than it was for me. I just indulged him because, well, I knew you liked the guy.” Fiddling with the cards on the table, unnecessarily shuffling his own hand, he muttered, “well, I didn’t know you liked him _that much._ ”

Daisy reached over, placing her hand over her father’s. Cal looked up, smiling slightly. “Is that for your benefit or mine?”

“Mine,” Daisy said, wiping at her eyes with her sleeve. Cal placed his free hand over both of theirs, patting hers lightly.

“We can invite him back, if you want,” he said, only a little begrudgingly. Daisy laughed, swiping at her eyes again before shaking her head.

“No, we’re good right now,” she said. “He will be very excited when I tell him you said that, though.”

Cal groaned. “He’s eager to please, isn’t he?”

“Extremely,” Daisy agreed, collecting all of the cards into a stack. Reaching under the table, she grabbed a puzzle, showing it to Cal questioningly. He made a face. “But,” she said, ignoring his disapproval and dumping the puzzle pieces onto the coffee table. “Wouldn’t you prefer your daughter date a dork who wants nothing more than for her to be happy?”

Sighing dramatically Cal grabbed a couple of pieces, trying to make them fit. “I suppose you’re right,” he said, looking for a different piece. Daisy handed him one from her side, a match. “How on earth did I get such a smart kid?” He asked, fitting the two together.

“One of life’s many mysteries.”

***

“Hey,” Daisy called, and Phil saw her approach from down the hall.

“You’re back,” he noted, smiling before he recognized that look in her eyes. She got closer and closer, and he couldn’t tell if she was going to yell at him or--

“You jerk,” Daisy muttered, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into a fierce hug. Phil looked over at Mack awkwardly. The other man rolled his eyes before grabbing a file from Coulson’s hand and walking off.

Daisy held on tightly, and despite returning the embrace, Phil had to wonder what brought it on.

“Um, Daisy?”

“Yeah, give me a minute,” she said, her voice muffled by the fabric of his collar. He felt her take a deep breath before she pulled away, and his eyes widened in alarm.

“What’s wrong?” He asked, seeing her red eyes and running nose. “Is everything okay? Is Cal okay?”

That seemed to set her off for another second, squeezing her eyes shut, but she took another deep breath and shook her head. “No, no, everything’s fine,” she said, moving a hand to his arm. “It’s good.”

Phil eyed her skeptically before putting an arm around her shoulder and leading her to their room. It was late and something was up, he figured the least he could do was bring it up privately. They walked back to their joint bunk in silence, just listening to the sounds of the quiet base. He wondered if Cal had brought up their earlier conversation, about his apparent fears that Phil and Daisy would be him and Jiaying 2.0.

To be honest, Phil wasn’t even sure how to handle that one. On the one hand, he could see the similarities: his devotion to her, his status as a human. A _modified_ human, albeit his modifications were against his will. Daisy as an Inhuman, with a good heart.

The way he saw it, their job was to protect each other, so the same fate _didn’t_ befall them. Cal and Jiaying’s love for each other was just as strong, but in terms of taking on forces like HYDRA, Phil and Daisy had an advantage. Because of their resources and training, they simply were more capable of defending themselves.

_So we just have to protect each other from succumbing to forces of evil, no problem._

“Cal wants to make you breakfast tomorrow, if you’re not too busy.”

Phil stopped in his tracks at their door.

“Come again?”

***

“You know, I’ve hurt a lot of people over the years, Agent Coulson.” Cal said, tapping his fingers on the counter.

“I know,” Coulson replied, not moving from his seat. He could feel Cal approach him, standing behind his chair. A plate slid in front of him, and Cal placed another at his own seat before sitting down across from him. Phil let out a little sigh of relief.

“And I know there’s not much I can do in my position to make up for it,” Cal continued, motioning for Phil to eat. He dug in, appreciating the simplicity of the bacon, eggs and toast in front of him. Maybe he would offer to cook next time. Brioche french toast, maybe a frittata? Or no, would that be too showboat-y?

“I’m not sure we have much use for a vet,” Coulson admitted, sipping his coffee. “But we may be able to arrange something in medical. Down the line.”

Just because he was Daisy’s father did not mean he got a free pass, they would have to sell at least the core team on it before letting him back in the base. They would have to keep any confidential paperwork out of his hands, and have someone shadowing him, but Phil hoped they could make it work.

“That would be excellent,” Cal said. “I’d like to help.”

The Retreat was nice, and they had expanded the perimeter surrounding the cabin before bringing Cal in, but it was, in a way, still a prison. A nicer one than maybe people felt Cal deserved. But there was a difference between those who rejected second and third and fourth chances, and those who wanted to make amends. After all, Cal had recovered his memories and lived as a simple, lonely vet for months. Never chasing down Daisy, or even approaching her when he saw her nearby. In many ways, this was not the same man who they’d met years before.

“The suit’s a little bit formal for breakfast, don’t you think?” Cal snarked, watching Phil with wide innocent eyes as he sipped his coffee.

“Daisy picked it out,” Phil replied smoothly, and Cal scowled.

(And in some ways he was exactly the same.)


End file.
